The Diplomat's Bradley Whitford reveals how he and Allison Janney use their West Wing history in Netflix series
"It's an exquisite privilege to be able to work with Allison anytime."
Fans of Netflix political thriller The Diplomat are of course excited to see what's next for Kate and Hal in season 3, but there's a special treat in store for fans of The West Wing.
That's because Bradley Whitford has joined the cast as Todd Penn, the husband of Allison Janney's Grace Penn, the former Vice President and new President. This means the duo, who previously starred in The West Wing together, have been reunited.
RadioTimes.com caught up with both of them exclusively, and Whitford explained how he first heard about the role in season 3 and what his initial reaction was.
He said: "I heard about it initially – was it the summer before this? I was shooting something in Budapest, and I got a text from Debora asking if I would be interested. And I knew it was playing Allison's husband, and it was a show I already loved, and I was absolutely beyond thrilled.
"It's an exquisite privilege to be able to work with Allison anytime, and after all these years, to be able to put all this history we have in this sort of funky, weird relationship is really, really fun."
The Diplomat season 3 will pick up directly after the season 2 cliffhanger, which saw President Rayburn dying after receiving a distressing call from Hal. This left Kate in a precarious position, after she had accused Grace of hatching a terrorist plot, and admitted she was after the Vice President's job.
The synopsis for the new run says: "Now the President is dead, Kate’s husband Hal may have inadvertently killed him, and Grace Penn is leader of the free world. None of this slows Hal’s campaign to land Kate the vice presidency.
"Kate steps into a role she never wanted, with a freedom she never expected, an increasingly complicated friendship with Foreign Secretary Austin Dennison, and an unnerving bond with First Gentleman Todd Penn."
Keri Russell and Rufus Sewell will of course be back in the show's central roles, while David Gyasi, Ali Ahn, Rory Kinnear and Ato Essandoh also return.
The Diplomat season 3 will stream on Netflix. Seasons 1-2 are available now – sign up from £5.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
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Authors
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
